Across Asia, consumers are already comfortable letting AI assistants handle everyday tasks, from booking travel to managing schedules. The next leap will be far more transformative. By 2028, IDC predicts that consumers in the region will spend US$32 billion via autonomous AI agents.
These agents will not just recommend products; they will compare options, negotiate prices, make purchases, and arrange delivery in seconds, often without the customer ever visiting a website or app.
This shift, to agentic commerce, will fundamentally change how brands are discovered, evaluated, and chosen. For marketers, the competitive battleground is moving from traditional e-commerce storefronts into AI-driven, conversational ecosystems where decisions are made instantly.
From chatbots to autonomous agents
Agents act on behalf of the customer, orchestrating entire transactions across multiple platforms and channels without human intervention. A customer might tell their AI to “find me a pair of running shoes under $150, delivered by Friday” and the agent will search across marketplaces, compare prices and reviews, negotiate discounts, place the order, and confirm delivery details through the customer’s preferred messaging app. In this model, the agent becomes the primary decision-maker. Brands must now persuade not only the human buyer, but to be the option the AI agent selects.
In Asia, the region’s comfort with automation means consumers are already primed to delegate tasks to digital systems.
Asia is uniquely positioned to lead this shift. Mobile penetration exceeds 100% in nearly every market, with consumers moving fluidly between super-apps like WeChat, LINE, KakaoTalk, Zalo, Viber, and WhatsApp. This creates a zero-wait mindset, where customers expect instant, context-aware responses regardless of time or channel.
In Asia, the region’s comfort with automation means consumers are already primed to delegate tasks to digital systems. In such an environment, agentic commerce can thrive, delivering convenience, speed, and personalisation as standard.
The new rules of discovery and trust
Just as SEO evolved for human search engines, product information will need to be structured so AI agents can easily find, interpret, and compare it. Rich, structured metadata, verified reviews, and transparent specifications will be essential. Commerce will also need to be API-first, enabling AI agents to check stock, request quotes, and complete transactions programmatically. Pricing strategies may need to adapt too, with AI-driven models that can respond instantly to agent requests and competitive comparisons.
For brands, this means building clear data policies, offering explainable AI that can justify recommendations, and ensuring compliance with diverse regulations across APAC markets.
Trust will be a decisive factor in this new landscape. As AI takes on more of the shopping journey, customers will want transparency into how their agents make decisions, what data is being shared, and how preferences are applied. For brands, this means building clear data policies, offering explainable AI that can justify recommendations, and ensuring compliance with diverse regulations across APAC markets. Trust will not be a marketing slogan but a functional requirement for AI-mediated commerce.
Rethinking loyalty in an AI-mediated world
Loyalty will also need to be redefined. Traditional programs are designed to influence human decision-making, but in an AI-mediated purchase journey, loyalty will depend on how well a brand’s systems integrate with the customer’s preferred AI agent.
This could mean offering loyalty APIs so agents can apply points automatically, ensuring personalised offers are machine-readable, and embedding premium service levels into AI interactions. Our research with IDC predicts that by 2028, 40% of mid-tier B2C brands in APAC will use autonomous AI agents to deliver service levels once reserved for luxury customers. In this context, loyalty will be less about emotional connection and more about seamless integration into the customer’s AI ecosystem.
Traditional programs are designed to influence human decision-making, but in an AI-mediated purchase journey, loyalty will depend on how well a brand’s systems integrate with the customer’s preferred AI agent.
Marketers can take practical steps now to prepare. Audit product data for completeness, accuracy, and machine-readability. Invest in conversational and API-driven commerce capabilities that allow AI agents to transact directly.
Experiment with AI orchestration for customer service and fulfilment, using it to manage end-to-end processes without human intervention. Work with AI platform providers to understand integration requirements and ensure your brand is visible to their ecosystems. And embed trust and transparency into every AI-powered interaction, making it easy for both customers and their agents to see the value you offer.
In Asia, autonomous AI commerce is not a distant future but an imminent reality. The brands that succeed will be those treating AI as a primary customer channel. The decision-making moment is moving upstream, into the AI agent’s logic. If your brand is not visible, accessible, and optimised there, you may never even be in the running.
Ruslana is VP General Manager for APAC & Eurasia at Infobip.
